Is Asthma Genetic

Asthma affects more than 5% of Americans, including children and adults. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. Some triggers may initiate or worsen an asthma attack, including exposure to tobacco smoke, intense exercise, or a viral respiratory tract infection.

Many people with asthma do not have control of their lung disorder. Their poorly controlled asthma may give rise to a life-threatening asthma attack and sometimes cause permanent lung damage. The symptoms do not have to be tolerated; total asthma control can be achieved for most asthma patients.

If you have a parent with asthma, this doesn’t mean you will have it too. But you might inherit the tendency to develop symptoms of asthma.  In other words, if one can say that your parent has asthma or he/she has allergies, then you are more likely to experience it. However, researchers are uncertain about the cause.

Whether you have a family background of asthma or not, you might develop asthma by exposure to certain triggers. Sometimes, people working will come in contact with asthma triggers in their workplace, which can only cause an asthma episode. Experts call it occupational asthma.

While physicians and experts cannot determine the exact cause of asthma, they can recommend the best way to control and treat it. With the help of an asthma specialist, one can ensure their asthma is consistently well-controlled. By avoiding asthma triggers, by taking your asthma medication on time, through education from your physician, and following an asthma action plan, you can get control over your asthma symptoms.

Is there any relation between asthma and genetics?

According to research studies, asthma can be caused by hereditary and environmental factors. It is thought that asthma is a complex heritable disease. Several genes can contribute to a person’s susceptibility to asthma.

In the case of asthma, chromosomes 5, 6, 11, 12, and 14 have been implicated. However, the roles of these genes in causing asthma remain unclear, but one of the most promising locations has yet to be identified. This region is believed to be rich in the gene coding for the inflammatory response seen in asthma. Research is ongoing to study the genes involved in asthma.